The White House somberly marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7th terror onslaught on Monday with traditional Jewish remembrance practices.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden held a memorial Yahrzeit candle-lighting ceremony overseen by a rabbi in the White House's Blue Room to honor those slaughtered at an Israeli music festival last October 7th, starting a war that continues to take civilian lives in the region.
"On this solemn anniversary, let us bear witness to the unspeakable brutality of the October 7th attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day,” President Biden said in a statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, commemorated the anniversary by planting a memorial tree at their Naval Observatory residence, a White House official said. It's a longstanding tradition for Jews to plant a tree in Israel in honor of a lost loved one.
While it's also customary for vice presidents to plant trees at the official residence, this will be the first one planted by Vice President Harris. The Vice President and Second Gentleman chose a pomegranate tree, which — among other things — represents hope and righteousness, according to Jewish tradition.
The Second Gentleman is also set to attend an event organized by the American Jewish Committee, where he will recite a prayer in Hebrew.
President Biden made a public statement as well, building on his promise to stand by the people of Israel and all the civilians impacted by Hamas terrorism in the region.